The Latest Breaking News from Mdou Moctar

From a supernova of tapping and pitch-shifted metal guitar anarchy to all-star team-ups, here is your year in lead guitar – featuring Mdou Moctar, Diamond Rowe and some dudes named Satriani and Vai…

Topped with Charli xcx’s swaggering yet vulnerable Brat, here are the year’s finest LPs as decided by 26 Guardian music writers

The Strat might be turning 70 this year, but its story is only just getting started – and these are the players writing the next chapter in its history

The gear (or lack of) behind Mdou Moctar's searing signature sound on Funeral For Justice, which fuses Saharan rock music with Jimi Hendrix and Eddie Van Halen flair

Eight songs to start your week in the best possible way

The Nigerien guitarist and his virtuoso band set polemical fury to thrilling musicianship on this no-holds-barred release

The Tuareg guitarist’s latest album continues to expand the horizons of contemporary rock

Émilie Simon is a French electronic pop pioneer who emerged some 20 years ago and is known for her organic, mineral-driven compositions. On top of creating her own instruments, the award-winning artist has also signed scores for documentary films like “March of the Penguins”. She's just released "Polaris", her first…

Eight songs guaranteed to make you feel better about life, the universe and everything